The 2002 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 2nd college football season for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 2002 season, seven schools competed in Sun Belt football: Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State and North Texas.[1]
| 2002 Sun Belt Conference football season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) |
| Sport | football |
| Duration | August 25, 2002 - November 30, 2002 |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| 2003 NFL Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Charles Tillman (Louisiana–Lafayette) |
| Picked by | Chicago Bears, 35th overall |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | North Texas |
| Runners-up | New Mexico State |
| Season MVP | Brandon Kennedy |
| Top scorer | Danny Smith (84 points) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas $ | 6 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | 3 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Lafayette | 2 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 2 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 1 | – | 5 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The conference title was won by North Texas, in its second year as both a Sun Belt member, making them the first team to go back-to-back in Sun Belt Conference history.
Coaches
Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | Sun Belt record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State | Steve Roberts | 0 | 47–35–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Idaho | Tom Cable | 1 | 6–16 | 6–16 | 1–5 |
| Louisiana–Lafayette | Rickey Bustle | 0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Bobby Keasler | 3 | 86–59–2 | 8–25 | 2–4 |
| Middle Tennessee | Andy McCollum | 3 | 17–16 | 17–16 | 5–1 |
| New Mexico State | Tony Samuel | 5 | 19–37 | 19–37 | 4–2 |
| North Texas | Darrell Dickey | 4 | 13–32 | 13–32 | 5–1 |
Bowl games
In 2002, the SBC placed one team in bowl games through their tie-ins: North Texas.[2] New Mexico State was also bowl-eligible but did not receive a bowl invitation.
Note: All times are local
| Bowl | Date | SBC team (Record) | Opponent (Record) | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Bowl | December 17 | North Texas (7-5) | Cincinnati (7-6) | Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | W 24–19 | 19,024 |
Awards and honors
Players of the Year
2001 Sun Belt Player of the Year awards[3][4]
| Award | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Brandon Kennedy | North Texas |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Danny Smith | Arkansas State |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Brandon Kennedy | North Texas |
| Freshman of the Year | Paul Dombrowski | New Mexico State |
| Newcomer of the Year | Jonathan Burke | Arkansas State |
| Coach of the Year | Darrell Dickey | North Texas |
All-Conference teams
* = Denotes unanimous selection |
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Source:[4]
References
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